Sri Lanka vs India 1st ODI Report: Dhawan & Kohli demolish Lanka

Different Format , Same Result!

India played with an easily predictive Top 7 but benched the Chinaman - Kuldeep Yadav and played with both Chahal and Axar before Kohli won the toss and chose to bat first.

The motive seemed to be very clear - to restrict Sri Lanka to a modest total and chase down the total considering the dew factor under the floodlights.

Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella got Sri Lanka off to a fine start adding 74 runs to the first wicket. When Pandya, Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah, all seemed ineffective, Kohli brought in Chahal who slowed down the pace of the game and gave India their first breakthrough of Gunathilaka.

Number 3 - Kusal Mendis added 55 runs to the second wicket with Dickwella. Then Kohli introduced the part time off-spinner Jadhav to the attack who got the wicket of Dickwella, who was the highest scorer for Sri Lanka in the match. What followed next was a major collapse.

Axar Patel got the key wicket of Kusal Mendis who was looking well set on 37. Jadhav inflicted more pain for Lanka when he got the skipper - Upul Tharanga out cheaply off a full toss on just 13. Kohli then took matters in his own hands when he ran out Chamara Kapugedra.

Thisara Perera who flew miles away from England to Sri Lanka to play the ODI Series, could not do anything and was cleaned up for a 5 ball duck when he bowled by Bumrah. Wainudu Hasaranga fell off Axar Patel.

Lasith Mallinga came in, smashed a six and was stumped off a leg-break from Chahal and was out on just 8. Former Skipper - Angelo Matthew scored 36* from the other end, but did not get any support from the other batsman, as a result the hosts were knocked over for 216.

Chasing 217, India lost Rohit Sharma early through a hapless run out. Rohit dug his bat on the ground, dropped it and could not land his foot on the ground before the ball came and hit the stumps. Sri Lanka was lucky on that occasion.

But then, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli ensured that India had no more fatility. Virat Kohli played a great innings out there, rotating the strike and let Dhawan attack the Lankan bowling line up. Dhawan soon flew to his fifty, put an end to all the criticism and brought up his century in no time as well.

The Skipper - Virat Kohli scored his 44th fifty in One Day Internationals, then attacked leg break bowler Sandakan and took the visitors close to the target.

Kohli once again proved who is the boss while chasing and ended up playing a crucial innings of 82* alongside Dhawan who smashed 132* off just 90 balls which included 23 boundaries and helped India storm to a victory over the hosts in the first ODI and take a 1-0 lead.

Cheers,
Sparsh